Posts Tagged ‘Student Statistics’

Was watching TV2 Tamil news yesterday. Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan was talking about the recent matriculation intake. Out of the 1500 seats allocated to Indian students, 1394 was taken up. Initially more than 6000 students applied, and in the first round nearly 1200 were selected. some of the rejected their places and thus the balance 4000+ who appealed (nearly all who applied appealed) were review and few more were selected.

My question is, out of the 4000 over applicants, we can’t even get 1,500 candidates? Even after review those who appealed? Very strange.

Have a look at the minimum qualification required to apply matriculation:

I have two relations with string of As who didn’t get the place even after appealing. So what gives? Logically, if you got 6000 over applicants, who all meet the minimum requirements, you can easily fill up the 1500 seats. And yet got 106 places left vacant. That’s 7% gone, and probably the chance for 106 students to get education. did the 106 reject after appeal approved? Didn’t turn up last minute due to campus allocation?

So out of the 356 appellants offered place, 212 (59.5%) accepted and 144 rejected (40.5%). Quite high rejection rate. Maybe due to late appeal results which means they have taken other options, or wrong appellants given offers.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) arose from OECD policy initiatives in the latter half of the 1980s aimed at improving the quality of education throughout OECD countries.

PISA is an international study which began in the year 2000. It aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in participating countries/economies. Since the year 2000 over 70 countries and economies have participated in PISA.

PISA is an international comparative survey of 15-year-olds’ knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy.

PISA seeks to measure how well young adults have acquired the knowledge and skills that are required to function as successful members of society.

An additional 10 economies were added in 2010, under PISA2009+. Malaysia is one of the 10, along with Costa Rica, Georgia, Himanchal Pradesh (India), Malta, Mauritius, Miranda (Venezuela), Moldova, Tamil Nadu (India), and UAE.

PISA 2009+ involved testing just over 46 000 students across these ten participants, representing a total of about 1 377 000 15-year-olds.

The PISA sample is drawn from the population of students aged between 15 years and three months (completed) and 16 years and two months (completed) who attend educational institutions and are in the equivalent to Grade 7 or above.

Reading literacy: An individual’s capacity to understand, use, reflect on and engage with written texts, in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society. Mathematical literacy: An individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgements and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen. Scientific literacy: An individual’s scientific knowledge and use of that knowledge to identify questions, to acquire new knowledge, to explain scientific phenomena, and to draw evidence-based conclusions about science related issues, understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry, awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual, and cultural environments, and willingness to engage in science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen.

So, let’s see how our 15-year olds performed among the 75 economies which includes OECD countries:

Students in Malaysia attained a mean score of 414 on the PISA reading literacy scale. This mean score is below the means attained in all OECD countries and equivalent to the mean scores estimated for Brazil, Colombia, Miranda-Venezuela, Montenegro, Thailand and Trinidad and Tobago. In Malaysia, 56% of students are estimated to have a proficiency in reading literacy that is at or above the baseline level needed to participate effectively and productively in life. Students in Malaysia attained a mean score of 404 on the mathematical literacy scale. This mean score is below the means attained in all OECD countries. In Malaysia, 41% of students are proficient in mathematics at least to the baseline level at which they begin to demonstrate the kind of skills that enable them to use mathematics in ways considered fundamental for their future development. In Malaysia, there was no statistically significant difference in the performance of boys and girls in mathematical literacy.

Malaysian students were estimated to have a mean score of 422 on the scientific literacy scale. Malaysia’s mean score was significantly higher than that estimated for the lowest scoring OECD country, Mexico. In Malaysia, 57% of students are proficient in science at least to the baseline level at which they begin to demonstrate the science competencies that will enable them to participate actively in life situations related to science and technology. In Malaysia, there was a statistically significant gender difference of 10 score points in scientific literacy, favouring girls.

FYI, The top economy in the survey, across all 3 areas was Shanghai (China). Singapore was consistently among the top 5, while India’s two states were quite bad, occupying the lower 3 rungs. Other countries which were consistent in top 10 places were Hong Kong, Japan, Finland, Canada and Korea.

27,001 females (65.4%) and 14,266 (34.6%) male students make up the 41,267 seats.

There were 64,703 applicants and 53,216 (82.2%) of them met the minimum requirements of obtaining a CGPA of 2.0 and above. The balance of 11,487 applied even though their CGPA was below 2.0 (trying the luck).

In short, 64,703 applied. 53,216 qualified (82.2% of all applicants) and 41,267 were offered place (77.55% of qualified applicants).

Breakdown of qualified applicants (53,216):

39,998 (75.16% of qualified applicants) Bumiputera

10,677 (20.06% of qualified applicants) Chinese

1,813 (3.41% of qualified applicants) Indian

728 (1.37% of qualified applicants) Others.

Breakdown in terms of places offered (41,267)

29,838 (72.30% of places offered) Bumiputera

9,457 (22.92% of places offered) Chinese

1,511 (3.66% of places offered) Indian

461 (1.12% of places offered) Others

In terms of percentage vs population, the bumiputera were over-represented, while the Indians and Others were under-represented. The Chinese were fairly represented. This based on population ratio of 65% Bumiputera, 23% Chinese, 7% Indians and 5% Others.

Success rate in terms of [place offered] vs [number of applicants]

29,838 out of 39,998 (74.6%) Bumiputera (lower than the average of 77.55%)

9,457 out of 10,677 (88.58%) Chinese (higher than the average of 77.55%)

1,511 out of 1,813 (83.34%) Indian (higher than the average of 77.55%)

461 out of 728 (63.32%) Others (lower than the average of 77.55%)

Breakdown in terms of stream

21, 954 (53.2%) science stream

19,313 (46.8%) arts stream

There were 6,294 excellent candidates (not sure of the definition “excellent) which were offered places for 8 competitive/critical courses. (Note: category “Malay” was provided instead of Bumiputera).

Dentistry had the lowest places allocated (2.765) while Mechanical Engineering had the most (25.44%).

“The 11 programmes will be offered at Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Universiti Teknikal Melaka, Universiti Malaysia Perlis and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn,” he said in a press conference at the ministry yesterday.

A total of 64,703 applicants applied for the upcoming September intake and from the total, 53,216 (82.2%) met the minimum requirements of obtaining a CGPA of 2.0 and above.

Meanwhile, there will be a staggered intake at public varsities this year from between Sept 3 to Sept 10.

… Applicants can check their application status by visiting the websites of the ministry or the Universities Admissions Unit website.

Alternatively, students can call the ministry’s hotline at 03-8883 5858 or do a status check via SMS by typing UPU RESULT and sending the SMS to 15888.

Public varsities will issue official offer letters to successful applicants from today and applicants are required to confirm their acceptance by July 22.

a TOTAL of 4000 scholarships were offered by JPA for this year for the SPM 2010 leavers. According to JPA, 58.8% (882) of overseas scholarships were granted to Bumiputra students while the rest were for non-Bumiputras (41.2% or 618) (refer this article). A more detailed breakdown:

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said 882 Bumiputera students and 618 non-Bumiputera students received the scholarships under the PILN.

For the local degree programme this year, 1,301 Bumiputera students and 1,199 non-Bumiputera students received scholarships, he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat,

1500 were for overseas while the balance 2500 were for local universities. This is excluding the 86 cases who were given local scholarships after appeal, public uproar and intervention by political parties (as per this article). The breakdown of the 86 cases is available here.

Total number of applicants were 16,900 as per stated in this article. Breakdown of the 16,900 applicants: 7,277, or 43.1 per cent, Bumiputeras and 9,623, or 56.9 per cent, non-Bumiputeras. Only 8,857 of the 16,900 (52.4%) made the cut with the minimum academic requirement of straight 9As and above (refer to this link). But since only have 4000 scholarships, the balance had to be satisfied with local matriculation, diploma and foundation programs.

According to this report in The Star, a total of 1,552 of the 4,000 PSD scholarships for this year were given to Chinese students. Of the figure, 466 scholarships were for overseas courses.

And the report below indicates the allocation for Indian students, which states 245 scholarship to Indian were awarded – 137 scholarships were for overseas universities and 108 in local universities.

In summary:

PILN:

58.8% or 882 places for Bumiputra

41.2% or 618 places for non-Bumiputra.

31.07% or 466 places for Chinese students (and this is 75.4% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

9.13% or 137 places for Indian students (and this is 22.17% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

1% or 15 places for “other” students (and this is 2.43% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

Total 1500.

PIDN:

52.04% or 1301 places for Bumiputra

47.96% or 1199 places for non-Bumiputra.

43.44% or 1086 places for Chinese students (and this is 90.56% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

4.32% or 108 places for Indian students (and this is 9.01% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

0.2% or 5 places for “other” students (and this is 0.42% of the places allocate for non-Bumiputra)

Total 2500.

IF combine both of the above, 2,183 spots, or 55 per cent, were snapped up by Bumiputera students and 1,817, or 45 per cent, were offered to the non-Bumiputeras (refer this link).

And this is comments from Deputy Minister SK Devamany (if you are looking to apply for matriculation – refer here):

Indian students currently in Form Five have been urged to apply for the matriculation programme for the year 2012/2013.

MIC vice-president SK Devamany said Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has invited the Form Five students to apply for next session.

According to Devamany it is better that the students, who are scheduled to sit for SPM this year apply now and not later.

He said the ministry was offering seats in three streams of accountancy, science and technical (engineering).

“This is a good opportunity and every student should apply for the matriculation programme,” he told FMT.

He added the ministry had extended the registration period until end of October.

Those who are interested have go to http://www.moe.gov.my for further information.

When asked about the Indian students’ involvement in matriculation studies, Devamany, who is also deputy minister in the PM’s Department, said that this year the ministry had allocated 580 seats for Indian students.

But the response, he said, had been poor. Until last month there were only 262 students who registered.

“Since 2009, the government had granted more than 1,000 Indian students the opportunity to study under the matriculation programme but only some 640 accepted the offer,” he said.

Poor response

Meanwhile, he also acknowledged that for the year 2011, the Public Service Department (PSD) has awarded 245 scholarship to Indian.

“From this total, 137 scholarships were for overseas universities and 108 in local universities,” he said.

He added that the government had also awarded Indian students another 100 scholarships under the 1Malaysia Development Board.

He added that since the PSD scholarship became a buzzword, MIC had managed to sort out almost 80% of the cases received.

“MIC studied all the 181 cases received. There were three cases which failed to get scholarships and another 25 who got courses they were not interested in,” he said.

He added that MIC successfully solved 12 of 25 cases of students who wanted to switch courses.

“The balance 13 are still awaiting replies from PSD. I am confident they will get the course of their choice,” he said.

He also said that PSD had already offered scholarships for matriculation courses in public university for the 13 but they refused.

“MIC has put all it’s effort in this scholarship issue and we have already requested the PSD to reconsider the wishes of the 13 for scholarships,” he said.

I guess have to move fast, because now only want to do survey. Its not as if this problem just cropped up!

Sometimes, the parent from low income category won’t bother paying school fees because they know it would be covered under KWAM or other government schemes. Worse case, the teachers or HM will get some NGO or businessmen to cover the fees.

FINANCIAL aid will be given to poor Tamil schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur after a survey is conducted by the Education Ministry, said Deputy Urban Development and Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan.

Saravanan said nearly a quarter of the Tamil schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur were under performing because they come from poor homes.

He said from his meetings with chairmen of parent-teacher associations of Tamil Schools he had gathered that there were still many Indian families living in abject poverty.

“There are families which do not have even television sets. I can understand if people cannot afford Astro services. But not having a television set is something unheard of in our country,” he said at the launching of the SRJ (Tamil) Segambut annual sports event recently.

The MIC vice-president said there were a large number of pupils who could not afford to pay school fees.

“It is just RM24 per year and if their parents cannot afford even that then they must be given help,” Saravanan said, adding the well being of residents in the city was his ministry’s responsibility.

“We have the allocation but we want to have statistics to show their social economic standing,” he said.

He added that survey forms had been distributed to the chairmen of these PTAs and it would be cross-checked with another survey to be conducted by the Education Department.

Saravanan said the Education Ministry had been notified to conduct a similar survey.

“Only then we will know the financial situation of these poor families and the ministry will start making arrangements for them to receive allocations.

“My ministry has the allocation to eradicate poverty in the city and I will ensure the funds are channelled to hard-core poor families so that their children can do better at school,” he added.

A similar survey conducted last year by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) found that 42% of Tamil schools pupils in the country cannot read and write because they come poor homes.

About 10,000 Tamil school pupils attending Year One are illiterate because they can not afford to attend kindergarten.